Every transportation sourcing event answers an important question. It isn't simply, "What rates did we negotiate?"
The more important question is this: "Will this strategy give us the capacity and carrier relationships we need over the next several years?" Because the truckload market is changing.
For the past several years, transportation conversations have largely centered on one question: Where are truckload rates headed? Increasingly, I believe that's becoming the wrong question. The better question is: How are carriers deciding whose freight they want?
Over the past several weeks, we've reviewed research from Morgan Stanley, Wolfe Research, TD Cowen, Stifel, and other leading transportation analysts. Although each looks at the market differently, they've reached the same conclusion. Freight demand has improved modestly, but capacity has tightened much faster. As capacity tightens, carriers become increasingly selective about the freight they choose to haul.
That changes the conversation.
For years, transportation sourcing focused primarily on negotiating lower rates. Today's environment requires a broader strategy. Successful sourcing is becoming less about negotiating the lowest rates and more about positioning your freight where carriers want it most.
Carrier exits, rising operating costs, regulatory changes, and continuing driver shortages are steadily reducing effective truckload capacity. These aren't temporary fluctuations—they're structural changes that are reshaping the marketplace. At the same time, carriers are becoming more selective, placing greater emphasis on freight that improves network performance. Experienced transportation professionals know that carrier behavior often changes long before transportation indexes reflect what's happening.
One statistic, in particular, caught my attention.
A large truckload shipper recently reported that tender acceptance rates from its primary carriers had fallen from roughly 90 percent into the 60 percent range. When that happens, routing guides fail more often, dependence on the spot market grows, service becomes less predictable, and transportation costs begin rising long before the next sourcing event.
Over the past four decades, TranzAct has helped companies source billions of dollars of transportation. One lesson has remained remarkably consistent.
The best sourcing events don't begin when the RFP is released. They begin months earlier.
They begin by understanding where capacity is moving, what carriers are trying to accomplish, and which carriers are most likely to value your freight. That market intelligence creates meaningful competition among the right carriers, strengthens long-term relationships, improves service performance, and often produces better financial results than focusing on price alone.
If you're preparing for an upcoming truckload sourcing event, we have several resources that may prove valuable. One is our interview with Dr. Chris Caplice, Executive Director of MIT's Center for Transportation & Logistics, where we discuss what separates exceptional sourcing events from average ones.
We've also developed a Carrier Yield Test that helps companies gather candid feedback from incumbent carriers before the sourcing event begins. It provides valuable insight into what carriers need to strengthen the relationship and view your company as a preferred Shipper of Choice.
The greatest opportunity in your next sourcing event may not come from negotiating lower rates. It may come from better understanding what your carriers value most.
The organizations that outperform during the next freight cycle won't necessarily be those that negotiate the hardest. They'll be the ones that understand how the market is changing before everyone else and position their freight accordingly.
Whether you're preparing for a truckload sourcing event or simply want a better understanding of how carriers view your freight, we'd be happy to help.
We'll gladly share our interview with Dr. Chris Caplice, introduce you to our Carrier Yield Test, and discuss how more than forty years of sourcing experience have helped companies consistently improve carrier participation, strengthen negotiating positions, and achieve better transportation results.
Whether you ultimately work with TranzAct or not, we're happy to share these resources if they'll help you make better sourcing decisions.
But if you're planning a truckload sourcing event over the next several months, don't wait until the RFP is released. Get in touch.
A one-hour strategic discussion before your sourcing event could strengthen carrier participation, improve your negotiating position, and deliver benefits that last long after the sourcing event is over.
Because in today's market, the question is no longer simply whether you've chosen the right carriers.
Increasingly, it's whether the right carriers are choosing you.
Radar Report
We recently launched a new report that covers trends in the freight market and the July edition focuses on the truckload market. To receive a copy of the report, please get in touch.